Connexity Buys PriceGrabber to Form Customer Acquisition Behemoth

E-commerce technology group Connexity has announced the purchase of a fellow player in the customer acquisition space, that of PriceGrabber, to provide the foundations of a new retail platform.

The deal merges LA-based Connexity and its audience targeting capabilities with PriceGrabber and a service offering centered around intent data used by thousands of retailers. Both companies also have an active CPC ad marketplace and price comparison site - the former being the owner of Shopzilla - which has enabled them to gain a foothold in the data game.

Combining the two enterprises will create the second-largest product listing channel for lead generation, according to Connexity - which now sits behind Google in the same stakes.

Terms of the deal remain undisclosed.

Branching out

Connexity has been focusing extensively on promoting its marketing services ever since dropping the Shopzilla tag last September. The rebrand was overseen in light of the company’s transformation from comparison shopping site to “technology-driven” marketing solutions provider.

Sitting amongst the company’s current offerings is a programmatic media buying platform, which uses data from some of its owned-and-operated sites like Shopzilla and Bizrate to power the serving of display ads on a range of exchanges and Connexity properties.

Shopzilla as a price comparison service remains active, but Connexity is looking to gain headway as a provider of services for retailers looking to sell online.

The company says a link-up with PriceGrabber, which provides data to the likes of AOL and Yahoo, will hand performance marketers access to a “powerful retail platform for the future”.

A fair deal

Bill Glass, Connexity CEO, says the deal for PriceGrabber works in the best interests of all parties involved.

"For consumers, this combination will maximise the breadth and depth of product content within both our comparison shopping sites and our syndication network.

“For publishers, it will create a simplified solution to get their product content and monetisation from a single API or feed, creating efficiency in the channel, and simplifying tracking and reporting.”

In addition to a LA headquarters, Connexity also boasts presence in New York, Chicago, Camarillo, London and the Indian city of Gurgaon.

PriceGrabber is also based in LA, with operations across North and South America and the UK.

Continue the conversation

Richard Towey

Richard is a former head of content at PerformanceIN. After many years spent covering developments from the automotive, sports, travel and finance sectors, he eventually turned his full attention to reporting on stories from the fast-evolving world of digital marketing.